From Los Noches With Sarcasm
by emisparrow
Summary: Valerie Evans is a human with strange powers - and a relatively bad attitude. She was dragged to Los Noches by Aizen and now has to face the Espada, who are - unfortunately - her jailers and personal nuisances. Will she learn to get along with them, go crazy from lack of intelligent conversation or kill them all? Poor thing - I think she needs chocolate.
1. Chapter 1

Hello people! Long-time no see! 3

So. I know I have not finished and am not even _close_ to finishing my Fairy Tail fic. But, I started this a few months ago and reread it today and honestly, I love it. I'm in a Bleach-comeback beat right now, and as soon as I saw this again, I wanted to put it on here. As with fanfic numero uno, whether I finish this or not is a mystery. I have a few chapters done and might write some more soon, but we'll see. I have a talent for leaving my work unfinished, mostly out of forgetfulness and laziness.

Also, you might have noticed that Valerie Evans is in this one. I do use the same name for my OC, but this Valerie and the one in Nuclear Explosion might not have the same personalities or appearances – though they might be similar still. Again, the mystery remains.

Love all of you gorgeous marshmallows and enjoy _From Los Noches With Sarcasm_,

Emi

* * *

"Those Soul Reapers are pathetic! I could crush them all in a single blow! How dare they presume to be able to enter Los Noches!"

"Don't underestimate them! I've heard one of the intruders is Byakuya Kuchiki, a captain, and that another is his sister!"

"Who's sister? Kuchiki's?"

"Yes, I've told you, pea-brain!"

"Who's the pea-brain, you block-head!"

"Hey, you know I was made like this!"

I yawned. This had been going on for hours. The oh-so-powerful Arrancar, elite warriors of Hueco Mundo, were simply arguing over their petty differences while Lord Aizen looked down on them with an amused glint in his eye. I set my chin on my hand, bored out of my mind.

What do they even need me for? I asked myself. Feeling thirsty - I had been denied tea -, I brought my hands under the table so no one - or nothing - would see and snapped my fingers. A bottle of water appeared in my hands. I untwisted the cap and brought the bottle to my lips, leaning back in my chair and thinking about how welcome the conclusion to this meeting would be. My train of thought was interrupted by a loud voice:

"Hey, who are you? And where did you get that?" A big Arrancar I knew to be the tenth asked with an ugly scowl. I smiled. We both knew that plastic water bottles weren't something you could simply find in Los Noches, and here I was with one in my hands.

"I simply made it," I gestured to the bottle, and shrugged. The room fell silent as the other Espada noticed something unusual was happening, between a human and one of their own no less. Number 10 laughed.

"What, you made a bottle of water out of thin air? That's impossible, girly, only the gods can create matter!" He laughed and laughed, slamming a fist on the table in his mirth. The right corner of Lord Aizen's mouth lifted in an amused half-smile. I full-out grinned.

"I did not create matter my dim-witted friend, though I assure you, my power does in fact approach that of the gods," I said softly, looking at him through my lashes so only he would notice the intensity of my stare. Confronted to my fiery gaze, the giant Arrancar's smile slowly faded.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" He cried as I assessed him. I rolled my eyes and snarled, amusement waning slightly:

"Stay still, already! I want it to be perfect, but for that, I have to see exactly what I want in my mind, in detail. This one has many components, so shut your ugly mouth and don't move!" I snapped, annoyed at his blatant ignorance – but then again, who could blame him. As if Aizen would trust him with information about me. His mouth opened and closed without a sound. He seemed confused at the power emanating from my voice. I imagined the fabric, the lace, the fit. I added a rose pattern, then dismissed it. A creamy white would do the trick.

The stupid Arrancar started to fidget uneasily under the thorough examination I was putting him through. All the others watched, some looking at him haughtily, others looking at me in curiosity ... And unease. The fourth Arrancar looked emotionlessly to Lord Aizen though, who was still smiling. The sixth Arrancar wasn't even looking at us and was carving doodles into the table with a dagger. But I remained focused, and in that 20 second moment as I looked at him, I finally perfected it.

I snapped my fingers. The sound resonated through the room, and even the heads of the ones who didn't really care turned to stare at me. Suddenly, the big Arrancar I had been staring at was clothed in a Victorian-style, white child's dress.

The sleeves were poofy and the ends lined with lace, and there were silky pink ribbons cinching the elbows. The neckline was also lace and fell in two flaps on the bust, which was of a creamy white like the rest of the dress. A good dozen or so crinolines, some made of lace, some of tulle and some of the cottony material of the dress, made the lace-covered skirt poof to three times the giant man's size for good measure. Pink bows sparsely decorated the skirt as well. The dress made him look like an oversized vanilla-frosted cupcake decorated for a six-year old girl's birthday party. He had on lace gloves and silky sock-like shoes tied with ribbons, but the best part of his whole attire was undeniably his bonnet.

The soft fabric was the same colour as the dress. Poofy in the back, it had a cone-like brim surrounding the face, typical of the bonnets of the time period from which this fashion originated. The inside of the cone was made of creased silk and the outside was a soft, shimmery, white satin. It was tied to the Arrancar's head with a silky pink ribbon around his neck.

It took a few moments for the Arrancar to realize he was dressed in a lacy child's outift. His face contorted in horror, he tried to jump out of his seat but slipped on his footwear and fell, hitting his head on the table in front of him then dropping to the floor. A few of the more mischievous Arrancars chuckled, while Number 6 in particular let out a peal of loud laughter, clutching his stomach. But the majority of the Arrancars looked at me in a sort of arrogant outrage, whispering to their neighbours. Because, how dare I, lowly human girl of barely sixteen years old, use my powers against an Espada? How could I be so foolish to be blind to the great difference in power between the ant that I was and the boot that they were, ready to crush me?


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, gorgeous marshmallows of my heart!

Chapter 2 is up (can I have a round of applause for my awesomeness, please)!

Enjoy!

Emi

* * *

I leaned back down in my chair and sipped my water, staring at Lord Aizen, who was smirking and staring back. I unconsciously had to remind myself that this man was an evil, manipulative and superior bastard as I even more unconsciously wondered what it would feel like to brush away the lock of hair that constantly fell in his face. Realizing my train of thought, I, this time very consciously, had the urge to vomit.

"What is this power that the girl owns, Lord?" Asked one of the Arrancars, this one a woman. I raised an eyebrow. So now they were treating me like an object, and an invisible one at that.

"She can create anything she likes from Reishi. Valerie needs only imagine what she wants, and she can materialize it. Everything is genuine; for example, the food she makes is real and not a cheap imitation that will disintegrate at the slightest touch. She can also tweak what she wants to, for example, make a knife that would always throw true. And finally, she can control what she creates. She uses a sort of telekinesis on what she makes; she could make Number 10 dance if she liked to, by controlling his dress," Aizen explained. I smirked when I felt the room still at his words. They finally realized what they thought to be the extent if my power. But I knew more than I let on, even to Aizen.

"That's it, you're dead!" Cried Number 10, and he lunged at me, skirt and all. I sighed and snapped my fingers.

"Stop letting stupid things escape your mouth! Didn't you learn your lesson when we played dress-up, pansy-cake? And didn't you listen to Aizen? I can make what I want, and I can move what I create. Don't underestimate me," I said as I made a dagger appear right between the Arrancar's eyes. He quickly went cross-eyed, and I saw his fingers twitch towards me. As a warning, I put just enough pressure on the dagger to let a thin line of blood snake its way down his face and drop onto his collar. Mesmerized, I watched with a morbid fascination the blood flower on the immaculate white of the dress, marring my beautiful creation. I felt an un-nameable feeling seize me at the sight of the scarlet blemish, a careless, silently roaring feeling, as power struck me at my core and the council room stilled- that, mixed with annoyance at this fool.

"Look what you did! You stained it! How- dare- you ..." I murmured in the soundless room and slowly got up from my chair. I could feel my spiritual pressure building inside my small frame like an inferno. This whole incident in itself was quite inconsequential, but I was drunk on my power and I wanted all of these fools to know it. Something had taken me over and I was more than happy to do its bidding. A flicker of fear snapped through the big Arrancar's eyes. I would realize later that my already unusual purple eyes had turned an electric, literally glowing blue. He took a step back, and said:

"Fine, but take back the dress," At that I laughed, the pressure receding like the ocean during low tide.

"Did you hear Lord Aizen say that was part of my powers?"

He looked puzzled.

"But-"

"I can make objects from Reishi, that doesn't mean I can do it the other way around. Just because I made it and can control it doesn't mean I can transform it back into Reishi either. Oops," I said, making myself look fake-guilty.

"Why you-!"

"Enough Valerie, Number 10,"

I sat down slowly, pouting. The other didn't follow suit immediately.

"But Lord, she-"

"Ten, you were mocking and questioning her power. She had every right to punish you for it. Now that it is done, both of you will stop bickering, for you both are becoming irritating," he said, his eternal smile now cold and vicious. I opened my water bottle and took a swig.

The meeting went on and I continued being bored. I could feel Arrancar ten staring continuously at me, which I ignored. An hour after the little incident, I found a way to pass the time; I identified who was hot and who was not. I found thrilling of knowledge that no matter what happened, no one could read my mind, and that whoever was judged during that "trial" would be judged for my eyes only. I loved the humour of it: Arrancars, being checked out, probably for the first time too. My inner tease chuckled.

In the end, I found Ulquiorra and Grimmjow in particular to be interesting - though I did have a bone to pick with that Ulquiorra character. They were both quite the unusual male specimens and their strange Arrancar-y mutations didn't bother me so much as intrigue me and awaken my curiosity. But they were certainly the most handsome of this bunch of creeps. There was also the scientist one, I couldn't remember his name, but I didn't like the pink hair or the cold, calculating glance he gave me, as if analyzing a particularly interesting lab experiment. When he smiled, it seemed as if it was gooey and slimy, and I shuddered inwardly. _Yup, he's a creepy one. _All the others were either deformed, a woman, incredibly ugly, older-looking than my deceased great-grand-father or not even human-looking at all. Each time I examined one of them, I could see them fidget, as if wondering if they were next in line for the grand make-over. Grimmjow looked at me and grinned his wolfish grin, and Ulquiorra didn't even turn his head. After my assessment was over, I stared at my bottle and rocked on my chair's back legs. Why did these two guys have to be single, yet so evil? _They also aren't technically human_, I reminded myself, and sighed. Just my luck.

Aizen finally dismissed the gathered Espadas and I. He called out to Grimmjow:

"You, escort Valerie to her chambers. You will do as Ulquiorra does for Orihime; feed her, see to her needs. Do not harm her in any way. See that she does not escape," he ordered. Number 6 and I looked at each other, and I smirked at the shameless, smoldering grin he sent my way. This was going to be interesting.

"Sweet! Do I get a window? Because, I'd seriously enjoy being able to see the sky, once in a while. Darkness typically isn't my jam. It might make me less likely to try escaping ... If I had a window ... Even just a little one ... Okay, maybe not a tiny one, but a decent-sized one ... It doesn't have to be huge ..." I asked Lord Aizen non-chalantly, getting up and stretching while I lifted one corner of my mouth lazily. He gazed at me for a moment with a frozen half-smile on his lips, and though his gaze was still, I knew he was weighing my chances at escape with a window in my room.

"Very well," he finally agreed, his mouth tightening slightly in veiled doubt that only I probably read, " But be aware that Grimmjow is not to harm you only as long as you cooperate. And I fear his tastes in punishment are usually gorier, though almost as effective, as mine,"

"Noted, sir" I clicked my heels together and gave him a brisk two-fingered salute from my forehead, smirking all the while, before following a strangely pleased-looking Grimmjow out of the council room.

As we walked through the hallways of the, in my opinion, tastelessly decorated palace, I tentatively ventured:

"So, where are we right now? In the castle I mean?"

Grimmjow chuckled and looked to me.

"If you think I'll tell you that, then you're dumber than I thought you'd be,"

"Psh, there's no harm in trying," I replied, rolling my eyes. He looked at me, this time for longer and with a hint of danger.

"I know that you're looking for this information to help you escape, and an attempt at escape will be severely punished," he said, and as his words echoed in the spacious, empty hall, he let his gaze linger on me, as if imagining how he would punish me ... And enjoying it. _Great. A handsome creep. Again, my luck does wonders. _He then brusquely turned around and started walking. I followed, thoroughly enjoying myself. Teasing this kind of person is always hilarious.

"Escape isn't my goal ... Well, not presently anyway," I said. I waved my hand to emphasize how little this meant to me. Grimmjow raised an eyebrow and scowled a little.

"Not presently?" He asked but I cut him off when I saw a particularly funny-looking Arrancar walk around the corner.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey peeps!

So I already have a third chapter. Yes, I have published anew. A miracle, it seems.

I don't know what happened.

Lots of love and enjoy chapter 3!

Emi

* * *

"Oh my Goodness, I'm going to have to," I gushed, and suddenly the Arrancar that had been walking towards them was wearing a headband with cat ears and a belt with a slim cat's tail hanging from the back. The reason why I made these appear was that he had green cat's eyes, whiskers and claws for fingernails. Only the ears and tail were missing from the "outfit". But something wasn't quite right, and I realized it a bit too late.

"Oh no!" Moaned Grimmjow when he saw what I'd done, and, for some reason, at the sound Cat-Hollow stiffened, carefree smile fading. He immediately, without even sparing us a glance, ran to one of the windows. When he saw his reflection he brutally turned towards us. I was astonished to see tears in the Arrancar's eyes.

"You know I didn't choose to be like this, you know it hurts me!" He wailed. My glee turned to horror. I quickly stepped up, palms up in a - hopefully - calming gesture.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know this- Here, I'll show you how to take the tail and ears off!" I pleaded, feeling stupid. I thought he was a fool like the Espada from before; that he would get angry and hurt in his – supposedly - inflated, colossal ego. Turns out I just popped whatever was left of his pride with the needle he had been fearing the most.

He shifted his gaze to me, seeming surprised but sad. Then his gaze went back to Grimmjow, tears streaming down his whiskered cheeks.

"I can't believe you're trying to cover yourself up behind this poor girl. Will you ever stop torturing me, Grimmjow! I knew you couldn't change! You're such a meanie! I hate you!" He said, sobbing, then ran away, wiping away tears as his tail bounced to the rhythm of his footsteps.

"Good job Evans, now look what you've done!" Grimmjow growled, running a hand through his spiky hair. His eyes flashed.

"What are you-"

"I had finally gotten him to not only stop running away from me but also from sulking in his room during guard duty because he was scared to be with other Arrancars! Now it'll take me ages to get him to come out of his room!" He said, now rubbing his temples. I frowned. We continued walking.

"Why would you need to do that? I didn't know you cared that much for your subordinates. That's actually really nice," I said, matter-of-factly. I meant it as proof Grimmjow was being out of character instead of it being a compliment, and he knew it. Grimmjow sighed.

"I used to prank that guy all the time. This was when I was recruited into Los Noches, but before I was an Espada. I had nothing to do here, so I loved to tease him. But then I became an Espada. I have to coordinate those under me and don't have time for his stupidity. But now, whenever he sees me, even in halls full of people, he screams and runs. It's ridiculous. And he skips guard duty, so I always have to either go get him or get someone to replace him. It's annoying," Grimmjow finished. I stopped in my tracks.

"You were bullying him,"

"Yeah. So?"

"That's just wrong for so many reasons,"

"Says who?"

"Says morality,"

"Morality is for weaklings,"

"Morality is for the logical and the just,"

"Yuck,"

"You're despicable,"

"Better than being boring,"

"Oh, trust me, you can be good without being boring,"

"Prove it,"

"Fine,"

...

"I'm waiting,"

"We need to get to my room first,"

I could feel his interest mounting in a peak at that sentence. _Boys_, I thought.

"Oh really?" He asked, giving me a sideways glance. I kept walking.

"Yup. But one thing: if I prove I'm not boring, you have to tell me this guy's name and lead me to his room so I can see him and talk to him,"

One of his eyebrows lifted.

"Fine," he agreed, curiosity getting the best of him.

We walked a little further, then got to a door like any other. I opened it, and inside was a totally drab room. There were a bed with a beige cover, a black carpet, plain white walls, an enormous wardrobe and heavy dark red curtains half-covering a window of what seemed to be of a decent size. I turned to Grimmjow. We were both standing on my doorstep, him still in the hall, me in the doorframe. I looked up at him through my lashes, and slowly tilted my head.

"You know, you're not bad-looking … And you don't seem too stupid either …" I said softly. Grimmjow cocked an eyebrow.

"If you think that's how you're going to win our little bet, think again," he said, looking me in the eyes. I could see that he was tempted, but not so much as to be unable to push me away. My purple eyes smouldering and red lips parting slightly, I summoned a light gloss to discreetly appear on my lips but only once I'd licked them so he wouldn't notice. I created a virtually untraceable mist - you couldn't see it, smell it, feel it or even taste it - saturated with a hormone made to affect him and get him completely entranced with me. I stepped up closer and, standing on my toes to put my head closer to his since I was basically five feet tall, set my hand lightly on his chest. I felt his heart beat faster, and when I looked up at him, his pupils had dilated. _Good, he's completely in now, _I thought. Letting none of my thoughts show on my face, I lifted my head as he lowered his, his hand creeping to my back. His tall, muscular body covered my small one, and I let my left hand creep to his chest, joining my right. Our lips were only an inch apart, our noses touching, and-

I pushed out of his embrace with my strategically placed hands on his chest, backed away into my room, materialized a few gallons of icy water that fell in a great splash over his head, then shut and locked my door before he could react. I stifled a peal of laughter with difficulty and choked through the door:

"So what about that bet?"


	4. Chapter 4

Hello my dear marshmallow alpacas (what even is my vocabulary)!

I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while! School tends to like happening at the worst moments. I'm having end-of-term exams in a few days and I've been working hard. You might not see much of me on here until the end of the week, because I really want to focus on studying. But I will update this sometime soon (I hope I'm not lying to you guys right now)! This is a long chapter just for the occasion, and I hope you beauties enjoy it! Also, because of this chapter's length, I might not have found all the mistakes/incoherent story bits. So, please don't hesitate to tell me if you find anything so I can fix it!

SOOO MUCH LOVE TO ALL THE PEOPLE WHO READ MY WORK I LOVE YOU!

Emi 3

* * *

There were a few moments of silence during which the only sound to be heard was the uneven tapping of water rolling off Grimmjow's body and dripping onto the floor. He took a long, shaky intake of breath before he screamed:

"YOU LITTLE B-"

"Now now, if I were you I'd be careful. What if someone high-placed heard you screaming like a maniac? Also, a friendly reminder that you can't harm me unless I did something detrimental to Lord Aizen – which I did not - and that as soon as you've cooled down you're going to give me Cat-Boy's name and escort me to his quarters. Mmkay?" I firmly cut off his scream of rage in a tone that meant I was not to be argued with. Nevertheless, I heard a squelching sound outside my door as Grimmjow walked towards the door in his wet shoes and another metallic sound as he rattled the handle and hissed:

"I don't make deals with cheaters. The bet is off," I felt my blood boil at the accusation.

"Don't you ever dare call me, of all the people and Arrancars in this bloody hellhole (literally), a cheat! Your claim is unjustified, and I will not stand such a blatant insult to my honour by one who's own honour was built on blood, murder, injustice, and the freely caused tears of those weaker than he!" My voice got gradually louder until I was yelling and waves of power rolled off me. I knew he could feel it because his spiritual pressure was a tiny bit weaker, which meant he had backed away, and I couldn't even hear him at all. I knew if this was a fight he could take me any day, but he must have been surprised at how fast my spiritual pressure rose. I calmed myself, feeling stupid. I always had a short fuse and knew I shouldn't have reacted to this idiot's foolish words. I sighed. But a small smirk drew itself on my lips as I remembered how we got in this situation.

"Besides, how can I be a cheat? The goal was that I could prove I wasn't boring, not that I could please you. You certainly didn't look bored when you were about to kiss me," I laughed openly at him and heard a deep growl from Grimmjow.

"Don't get too sure of yourself, I was only playing along so that I could reject you after," he scoffed, and I smiled at the door.

"You're a liar,"

"I. Am. Not. A. Liar,"

"Again, lying!"

"Prove it then!"

"Your heartbeat was accelerated, your pupils were dilated, your breathing was shaky, and your body temperature had risen," I listed without missing a beat. I let him brood for a moment before adding, "You should really stop asking me to prove _myself_; _you'll_ just end up being proved wrong,"

"Shut up," came the gruff reply.

"And yet, you know, all those effects I just listed could be a result of the ... _pheromones_ I materialized in the air around you," I said loudly, deliberately speaking casually and pausing for a good, long, moment before carrying on. I heard a scuffling noise and a squelching noise mixed together in a loud sound like something from an episode of the Looney Tunes. I peeked through the convenient keyhole in my door to see him frantically getting up from a puddle of water. He must have slipped when I dropped the bomb on him. I chuckled.

Grimmjow marched quickly to the door. From the keyhole I could see him clenching and unclenching his fists, looking like he was restraining himself immensely from ripping the door off its hinges and tearing me in half.

"YOU DID WHAT? YOU LITTLE BRAT, THIS WHOLE TIME YOU TALKED ABOUT HONOUR AND YOU TRICKED ME!"

"The parameters were simply that I prove I am not boring. I proved that. You never forbade trickery of this sort. Now cough up the reward: a name and a trip to Cat-Boy's chambers, where you'll let me talk to him as long as I need," I said, determined not to blow up again. Grimmjow said nothing for a good while. There was no clock in my room but I made one and used my powers so that it would show what time it was in Los Noches and how long I'd been there. So far it had been 15 hours and 27 minutes since I had been snatched from my home by that green-eyed Espada – Ulquiorra Cifer. I started decorating my room a little bit. After ten minutes, I went to the door and peeped through the key hole.

Grimmjow was standing against the wall opposite the door, dripping wet. His hair fell in his face, and his clothes were wet, but at least he was only humid and not soggy like before. I stole a quick look at his wet body without him noticing … Before looking away at the wall next to me. I could not allow such thoughts about a diabolical Arrancar who enjoys others' suffering. Even one with a six-pack wearing an open shirt.

I stood, calling:

"Can I come out?"

He didn't answer. I decided this meant yes and opened the door a teensy crack to peer out at Grimmjow, who was glaring at me from the wall he was leaning on.

"Don't try to attack me, I come bearing a peace offering!" I said, and made a big fluffy white towel float through the crack in the door and on the floor in front of Grimmjow. He looked at it angrily, eyes flashing, but eventually picked it up and slung it around his neck. Then he pushed off the wall and walked away.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" I yelled, throwing the door open and running after him. I had slowed to a walk behind him when he deigned answer me:

"We're going to Koneroku's room,"

We continued down the hall, Grimmjow stalking off without a word or a look back to me. I was struggling to keep up; as I said before, I was short and basically had to run when tall people walked fast.

We finally arrived in front of a door just like the one leading to my room. _How do these people distinguish anything from anything around here_? I thought, before knocking.

"You really should stay back there and not let him see you. And also, don't talk. You'll scare him away," I ordered Grimmjow. He gave me a look like he was going to argue, but changed his mind and stuck to giving me the silent treatment from the other end of the hall. I turned to Koneroku's door, and felt Grimmjow's gaze drilling a hole in the back of my head. The door finally creaked open a fraction, and a green eye with a vertical pupil looked hesitantly at me.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Koneroku-san, but I would like to speak to you," I asked, adding in a bow to show this guy as much respect as I could. Koneroku seemed suspicious.

"You're the girl that was with Grimmjow! Is he using you again? Where is he? Has he come for me?" He looked around like a scared fawn.

"I'm new here, and Grimmjow is my bodyguard of sorts. I told him to stay away while we spoke, and even if he did come to bother you, I could stop him," I answered him. Koneroku cocked an eyebrow.

"Grimmjow is an Espada. What could you do?" I felt my generosity waver at his words. So I made a brick appear ... And "accidentally" dropped it on his toe. He yelped in pain and scuttled back into his room for a moment, hissing like a real feline.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you!" I lied,"I just wanted to prove that I could potentially make three brick walls right now in the blink of an eye if I wanted to. I could also make a dozen swords that fight on their own or even wrap Grimmjow in ice right now. I have my own power,".

Koneroku looked at me with something less like suspicion and more like curiosity now.

"You're the girl everyone has been talking about, the one with the special powers," he said.

"Hmm, though that really sounds like me, I doubt that the conversations you heard were about _me _specifically. My name is Valerie Evans. Listen, I have a proposition," I said quickly. Koneroku looked confused – with good reason - but nodded for me to continue.

"I know that to most people this would be quite offensive, but ... I came here to help you with your appearance. I know this is presumptuous, but … I heard that you got teased a lot by others because your looks. I _do _know that in situations like this, the problem isn't with you but with the people who harass you. Nonetheless, here in Los Noches, bullying is the norm. In this world, it's eat or get eaten, as you would know. No one here is willing to help you; you have to do that yourself. So, considering this,_ I_ wanted to help you by using the skills you just witnessed. I can give you that boost of self-confidence you need to beat the crap out of your bullies … Though if you still don't want me, by all means, I can leave ..." I backed away a little bit and looked up to see a yellow eye staring at me from a crack in the door.

" ... Really?"

"Of course,"

"What can you do specifically?"

"Well, anything you want really. I don't know what aspects of yourself really stand out to bullies and get you persecuted. And, just so you know, I don't do actual body modifications because to create things, I have to visualize the object perfectly. Basically, one mistake and you could die or be permanently disfigured. Also, I don't want to have to deal with your vital organs. At all. Anyhow, we're working with everything temporary here: eye contacts, clothes, gloves, make-up, and prosthetics if you really think you need them -though I think that's a bit extreme ..."

There was silence for a moment. Then the door opened to a teary-eyed, whiskery, clawed Arrancar with a swinging black tail coming out from behind him.

"I wish to thank you for your kindness and will make sure your efforts never go to waste. I am indebted to you, my lady," he said, his voice trembling with emotion as fat tears fell on the marble-like floor (Does marble _exist_ in Los Noches? Oh, the great mystery).

I backed away a step.

"Um, I really appreciate your respect, but you really don't need to address me as _lady_ or anything like that. And as for you being indebted, I'm the one who scared you in the first place, so you really don't need to feel like that … Though there's one thing I'd like you to tell me,"

"Anything, my la- Evans-sama," Koneroku said – which was not much better in _any_ way.

I looked around, making sure Grimmjow wasn't listening. He seemed to have wandered not too far away and was messing with some poor Arrancar on guard duty (… And that's what you call "learning from your mistakes"). I looked back at Koneroku and, staring him straight in the eye and dead serious, asked:

"Do you know where Orihime Inoue is being kept?"


	5. Chapter 5

Hello my fairy unicorn marshmallows of heaven (ooh I think I surpassed myself just there)!

I know it's been a while longer than I promised and I'm sorry, I really am. In my defense, I got pretty sick, and school happened and such, but I did also forget a little bit. And I'm sorry, truly.

Also, since I watched the whole Kuroshitsuji series and started the Hetalia series since then, let's just say my productivity levels have gone _down_.

By the way, there is going to be a long descriptive sequence somewhere down there. If you don't feel like reading it, don't. If you do, have fun! I sure did when I wrote it. I love descriptive sequences like that.

Please enjoy this chapter, don't forget to review and favourite and all that jazz! Love you all,

Emi

* * *

I could tell Grimmjow was starting to get impatient. He huffed and his feet stomped the ground as he walked back and forth in the hall. I giggled, and Koneroku cowered at the sounds emanating from outside the door.

"Don"t worry, he's harmless," I said –rather loudly- to Koneroku. The stomps skidded to a sudden stop, before starting again even louder than before.

"Harmless to _you_, but not to me!" he whispered, leaning perceptibly away from the door.

"Well guess what? He's harmless to you now too! Also, I'm done! Just put these on and you're all good!" I said, handing him a pair of contact lenses. He beamed, but his smile was hesitant.

"Are you sure the others will stop bullying me?" he asked, setting the lenses aside and knotting his hands nervously. I sighed, and took them in mine.

"Listen, the change of appearance will help you on two levels: firstly, it will show the bullies your inside strength, but on the outside. They will see you for all of your potential when you walk into their line of sight. But that will only work if you have the attitude to go with it, because even though you look the part, if you don't _act_ the part as well, they won't take you seriously. This leads me to my second point: it will be a fresh start for you. You don't have to be chained down by what people thought of the way you used to look, you can be confident and show those bullies what you're made of. I know you have that confidence inside of you somewhere and that you have a bit of an attitude as well! Don't be afraid of that side of you; the others won't be able to laugh at you when they realize that you are so much better than them in every aspect! If you don't let their teasing get to you, stay confident and show them your strength, they're bound to be silenced, you'll see!"

He looked me in the eyes.

"You think that?"

"Absolutely," I answered solemnly. Then Koneroku grinned; and it was more than a simple grin, it was a lazy, confident smirk that made his eyes sparkle mischievously. I loved it.

"Then let's do this,"

"You're done already? I was this close to tearing that door in half! And what was that about me being harmless, you little brat- Woah, Koneroku, is that you?"

I hid my smile behind my palm as Koneroku lazily leaned against the wall next to the door, crossing his arms. His hair covered his eyes. I was very excited for this, and it took a lot of self-control to keep me from cheering.

"You gotta problem with Valerie and I taking our time?" He said slowly and softly, looking up at Grimmjow from under his bangs.

Grimmjow looked surprised – not intimidated, but thoroughly surprised. Then again, Grimmjow being an Espada and not easily fazed at that didn't really help us gauge Koneroku's scary factor. But, objectively, I found that really impressive – nice and terrifiying. Subjectively though, I found it bloody hilarious (so much innuendo).

"Woah, you look really different," Grimmjow stated, looking Koneroku over.

Koneroku indeed looked very different. I gave him contacts to make his pupils round, though I kept the neon green eye colour, because there was a certain amount of intimidating to be done with that, like a well-timed "piercing" look, or a long, creepy stare.

I had a tough time figuring out what to do with his whiskers, because I knew you couldn't cut them on a cat. That is, until Koneroku told me that they were only strange pieces of facial hair sticking out in weird places and that he had never cut them before because he was scared of the others' reaction. Basically, I chopped them off.

Next were the claws. I trimmed them.

I also had a difficult time finding a solution for the tail. Koneroku said he usually hid it in his pant leg. He assured me it was comfortable, which reminded me that when we first met, I hadn't noticed his tail because it was hidden in that way. So, the tail was hidden.

Finally, I gave him a new outfit and a haircut. I made pants; they looked like normal Arrancar pants – wide-legged and such - though I made them a little higher to give his tail enough space to fit in the back. He wore bandages around his chest that showed off his hollow hole – which overlapped his collarbone – and his muscular abdomen, because even though he didn't show it off, Koneroku was quite fit. I topped it all off with an armless vest, complete with hood. It was open to reveal the bandages and went all the way down to his shins, showing off his muscular arms and at the same time camouflaging any potential hint of a tail.

As for his dark hair, I simply gave it a messier look, also having it partly cover his eyes and mask – a set of four bones shaped like curled claws, reaching out from his hair onto the left side of his forehead – to maximize the mystery and impact of a glare from under the hood. It's all about that dramatic flair here in Hueco Mundo … my speciality.

After a few hours of labour and creating random objects, I finally achieved my goal: a bad-ass Koneroku with an attitude. I mentally fist-bumped myself.

But there was no time to celebrate. I was going to be gambling a lot on my next move, so I had to focus. I concentrated, and a white mist surrounded Grimmjow.

"What the-" he muttered before keeling over and onto the floor. I dispersed the mist while Koneroku picked him up and set him on the bed in his room before closing and locking the door.

"Let's go," he said and I followed him through the maze of corridors, heart pounding. I had been waiting a long time for this and I was uncertain whether or not what I was feeling was excitement or dread.

Well, I knew I was feeling _something_.

Koneroku came to a slow stop in front of a door like any other. He turned to me.

"This is the place I heard the others talking about, Evans-sama. I thought you were the one they were talking about, but I never realized there were two of you. I'll do anything I can to help you," He said with a bow. I frowned a little bit as I pulled him to his feet.

"I am really grateful for you doing this, Koneroku. And please, call me Valerie. I certainly like you a lot more than any of the other Arrancars in this place – you're my friend, after all! And friends help each other. I'll always help you as well," I said. This brought a large smile to Koneroku's face.

"Indeed. Then please call me Lealtad. Lealtad is my given name," he said.

"Alright!" I answered. I was happy to comply – he had such a nice name too!

I turned to the door and knocked. I took a deep breath as I heard footsteps. The door opened to reveal a certain red-headed girl.

"What is it?" Orihime asked softly. She seemed confused as to why an Arrancar and a human girl she had never seen before were on her doorstep with no one else around. To be expected.

"Orihime Inoue?" I asked. She nodded. I continued, "May I come in?"

"Who are you?" she asked, alarm rising in her voice.

"Please, I don't have much time. But I have to talk to you about your powers … and about mine,"

"Very well, but answer me: who are you?"

I took a deep breath again.

"My name is Valerie Evans; this is Lealtad Koneroku. I'm here because if you and I combine our powers, we can take back the Hogyoku and destroy Aizen. Can I come in now?"


End file.
